Career and Education Opportunities for Aircraft Parts Assemblers in Richardson, Texas

Many educational and employment opportunities exist for aircraft parts assemblers in the Richardson, Texas area. Currently, 3,790 people work as aircraft parts assemblers in Texas. This is expected to grow 20% to 4,530 people by 2016. This is better than the national trend for aircraft parts assemblers, which sees this job pool growing by about 9.4% over the next eight years. Aircraft parts assemblers generally assemble, fit, and install parts of airplanes, space vehicles, or missiles, such as tails, wings, fuselage, bulkheads, stabilizers, landing gear, rigging and control equipment, or heating and ventilating systems.

A person working as an aircraft parts assembler can expect to earn about $19 per hour or $39,740 annually on average in Texas and about $21 per hour or $44,130 per year on average in the U.S. as a whole.

The Richardson area is home to seventy-seven schools of higher education, including one within twenty-five miles of Richardson where you can get a degree as an aircraft parts assembler. The most common level of education for aircraft parts assemblers is a high school diploma or GED. It will take only a short time to learn to be an aircraft parts assembler if you already have a high school diploma.

Aircraft parts assemblers attach brackets or clips to secure components, using bolts, screws, rivets, chemical bonding, or welding. They also read and interpret blueprints, illustrations, and specifications to establish layouts, sequences of operations, or identities and relationships of components. Equally important, aircraft parts assemblers have to align and install system components, using jigs, fixtures, measuring instruments, hand tools, and power tools. They are often called upon to assemble and connect components, fittings, and assemblies on aircraft, using layout tools and fasteners such as bolts and clamps. They are expected to cut and smooth components, and verify sizes and fitting tolerances in order to insure proper fit and clearance of components. Finally, aircraft parts assemblers position and align subassemblies in jigs or fixtures, using measuring instruments and following blueprint lines and index points.

Every day, aircraft parts assemblers are expected to be able to visualize how things come together and can be organized. They need to prioritize information for further consideration. It is also important that they twist and stretch their arms and legs to get work done.

It is important for aircraft parts assemblers to lay out and mark reference points and locations for installation of components and components, using jigs, templates, and measuring and marking instruments. They are often called upon to assemble and fit prefabricated components to fashion subassemblies. They also fit and fasten sheet metal coverings to surface areas and other sections of aircraft before welding or riveting. They are sometimes expected to clean and/or coat system components as needed before assembling and attaching them. Somewhat less frequently, aircraft parts assemblers are also expected to assemble and fit prefabricated components to fashion subassemblies.

They also have to be able to inspect and test installed units and assemblies for fit and adherence to standards, using measuring instruments and test equipment And finally, they sometimes have to form loops or splices in cables, using clamps and fittings, or reweave cable strands.

Like many other jobs, aircraft parts assemblers must have exceptional integrity and be thorough and dependable.

Similar jobs with educational opportunities in Richardson include:

Welder. Use hand-welding or flame-cutting equipment to weld or join metal components or to fill holes, indentations, or seams of fabricated metal products.

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES: Aircraft Parts Assembler Training

Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Dallas - Dallas, TX

Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Dallas, 7555 Lemmon Avenue, Dallas, TX 75209. Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Dallas is a small school located in Dallas, Texas. It is a private for-profit school with primarily less-than 2-year programs and has 321 students. Aviation Institute of Maintenance-Dallas has a two to four year program in Airframe Mechanics & Aircraft Maintenance Technology/Technician which graduated fifty-nine students in 2008.

LOCATION INFORMATION: Richardson, Texas

Richardson, Texas photo by Infrogmation

Richardson is situated in Dallas County, Texas. It has a population of over 101,589, which has grown by 10.7% over the last ten years. The cost of living index in Richardson, 92, is below the national average. New single-family homes in Richardson are priced at $210,000 on average, which is well above the state average. In 2008, sixty-eight new homes were constructed in Richardson, down from one hundred forty-eight the previous year.

The top three industries for women in Richardson are educational services, professional, scientific, and technical services, and health care. For men, it is professional, scientific, and technical services, computer and electronic products, and construction. The average travel time to work is about 24 minutes. More than 47.7% of Richardson residents have a bachelor's degree, which is higher than the state average. The percentage of residents with a graduate degree, 16.2%, is higher than the state average.

The unemployment rate in Richardson is 7.2%, which is less than Texas's average of 8.1%.

The percentage of Richardson residents that are affiliated with a religious congregation, 55.1%, is more than the national average but less than the state average. Heights Baptist Church, Richardson East Baptist Church and Richland Bible Fellowship Church are some of the churches located in Richardson. The most prominent religious groups are the Catholic Church, the Southern Baptist Convention and the United Methodist Church.

Richardson is home to Canyon Creek Park and Berkner Park. Visitors to Richardson can choose from Comfort Inn, Best Western Dallas Telecom Area and Champ Restaurant Equipment Supplies for temporary stays in the area.